For a governor who got nearly everything he wanted in the new state budget, this was a victory lap. He appeared with Democratic legislative leaders at the Capitol and declared the state’s finances are in shape for the first time in more than a decade.

“I don’t say all problems are over or that we don’t have some longer-term liabilities, but the budget is balanced in accordance with generally perceived and accepted accounting principles,” he told a room packed with lawmakers, staff and interest groups. “That’s something we haven’t had before.”

The governor who declared he’d stand firm against more spending honored the deal he struck with legislative Democrats and did not line-item veto their new investments. He used his blue pencil to strike just $40 million – the vast majority coming from special education and preschool programs.

The spending plan relies on the governor’s more cautious revenue estimates and includes a reserve of just over $1 billion. It includes new spending for several programs pushed by legislative Democrats, such as middle class college scholarships and mental health care.

It also includes the governor’s sweeping overhaul to the formula that funds California schools. Districts with high numbers of low-income students and English language learners will receive more money than they do now.

Here's the list of the governor's line-item vetoes (scroll down to the last few pages of the PDF file).

Capitol Bureau Chief Ben Adler first became a public radio listener in the car on his way to preschool – though not necessarily by choice. Now, he leads Capital Public Radio’s state Capitol coverage, which airs on NPR stations across California. Read Full Bio